Charles LeClaire/US PresswirePittsburgh's James Neal is able to beat Devils goalie Martin Brodeur for the only goal during tonight's shootout.

PITTSBURGH — A Penguins team without Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin is still deep enough to stay in contention for first place in the Eastern Conference.

The depleted Pens were also able to push the desperate Devils one step closer to sitting out the playoffs this spring with a 1-0 shootout victory tonight at the Consol Energy Center.

James Neal scored the lone goal in the shootout.

Although the Devils picked up one point in their shootout loss, they will face the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday at HSBC Arena 10 points out of the final playoff spot. Both teams have eight games remaining.

The Devils’ improbable second half turnaround, in which they pulled to within six points of eighth place after trailing by 27 on the morning of Jan. 9, has fizzled out. The Devils have lost four of their last five games.

“Very disappointing,” Ilya Kovalchuk said. “We were playing good lately, but it’s a little too late.”

To make matters worse, they go to Buffalo without enough healthy defensemen. They lost Colin White with a lower body injury after only four shifts in the first period.

Anton Volchenkov also suffered a lower body injury when he crashed hard into the corner boards at 9:03 of the second period after a hit from Chris Kunitz. Volchenkov went back into the game but had to leave before the period was over.

When Tallinder lost an edge on his skate, he missed two shifts, leaving the Devils with three available defensemen.

With Tallinder unavailable, the Devils used forward Adam Mair on defense two shifts. He dressed as a defenseman in practices, but never in a game.

“We were down to three ‘D’ on the bench, so I wasn’t surprised at all,” Mair said. “I don’t think I was in enough kind of situations to even know (if he could play a full game).”

Coach Jacques Lemaire said he didn’t think White or Volchenkov would be able to play in Buffalo. That means Mark Fraser would play his first game since Feb. 16 after sitting out the last 17, and a defenseman will undoubtedly be called up from Albany (AHL).

Despite a power play that went 0-for-4, the Devils took the scoreless battle between goalies Martin Brodeur and Marc-Andre Fleury to overtime and then a shootout.

Brodeur stopped a dangerous tip by former teammate Paul Martin with 2:32 left in OT and then denied Kris Letang and Alex Kovalev in the shootout. However, Neal scored what turned out to be the only goal in the tie-breaker as Pittsburgh’s third shooter.

“He made a good shot,” Brodeur said. “I forced him as far as I could go. He flipped it over my shoulder.”

When Fleury made an arm save on a high shot from Patrik Elias, the shootout was over.
And, according to Kovalchuk, so was the Devils’ season.

“It’s tough,” Brodeur said. “We got a point out of it at least, but we needed two. It’s not a great situation.”

Since early January the playoffs seemed unreachable. Now the countdown begins for mathematical elimination.